Report Says Foreign Students in U.S. Up

The number of foreign students attending colleges and universities in the United States increased 5.1% in the 1997-98 school year to a total of 481,280, according to a new report. But among countries competing for foreign students, the U.S. share of such students continued to slip. The study--which also found the number of U.S. students studying abroad increased by 11.4% to nearly 100,000--was prepared by the Institute of International Education, a private agency involved in the international exchange of people and ideas. New York City led among the nation’s cities, with 29,855 foreign students. California was the leader among states, followed by New York, Texas, Massachusetts and Florida.